Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration
of Independence? This was floating around in e-mail form a few years ago so
you may have read it. The original author is unknown to us but we sure would
like to know who did write it. Here goes.

Five signers were captured by the British, charged as traitors, and tortured
before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their
sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of
the fifty six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary
War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of
means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing
full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept
from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his
debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he
was forced to move and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were
taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the
properties of Dillery, Hall , Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge,
and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General
Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly
urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and
Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The
enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven
from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their
lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year
he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken
heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were
not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and
education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall,
straight, and unwavering, they pledged; " we promise to support this
declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we
mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never
told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight
just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own
government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we
shouldn't.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and thank these
patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: Freedom is never free!

We received the following since this was first posted.

A
friend of mine said that a book called "Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our
Sacred Honor" by Paul Harvey contained the info that you had put on
your web site. He said that it was (the book), in fact, much more detailed.
Mr. Harvey did the research relating to the signers back in 1956 for one of
his "Rest Of The Story" segments and it has been published several
times. One publishing date is 1976.